Scorched earth

Reuters photo

he burnt root of a tree is seen outside the town of Elektrogorsk, some 60 km (37 miles) east of the capital Moscow. Efforts to fight Russia's devastating forest fires have been crippled by a law passed four years ago at the behest of Vladimir Putin and powerful logging interests, environmentalists and politicians said on Tuesday.

he burnt root of a tree is seen outside the town of Elektrogorsk, some 60 km (37 miles) east of the capital Moscow. Efforts to fight Russia's devastating forest fires have been crippled by a law passed four years ago at the behest of Vladimir Putin and powerful logging interests, environmentalists and politicians said on Tuesday. (Reuters photo)

he burnt root of a tree is seen outside the town of Elektrogorsk, some 60 km (37 miles) east of the capital Moscow. Efforts to fight Russia's devastating forest fires have been crippled by a law passed four years ago at the behest of Vladimir Putin and powerful logging interests, environmentalists and politicians said on Tuesday.